Grey’s Anatomy 12×16 – When It Hurts So Bad

“So the question is, who do you want…screaming and cheering beside you?”

This season, I’m starting to realize that Meredith is probably one of my all-time favorite characters on television. She’s grown from a dark and twisty Meredith to a fully-grown, capable mother and surgeon in the past 12 seasons which makes her first relationship post-McDreamy all the more compelling to watch.

On one hand, I’m glad the promos were misleading (I genuinely thought Thorpe was going to make a pass at Maggie), but on the other hand I found it quite frustrating to drag on the “what the hell happened between Mer and Thrope” onto the episode’s final act.

Nevertheless, it was absolutely riveting to watch Meredith and Alex, the Fab Five’s only remaining characters, openly discuss the ramifications of Derek’s death onto Meredith’s love life. Their entire scene in front of the fireplace was touching and poignant, especially as it’s packed with some gut-wrenching Derek flashbacks (from the season five finale, if I’m not mistaken). Meredith realizing she enjoyed someone else’s company was a standout moment, even if I hardly care about Thrope’s bland character so far.

All the scenes leading up to that moment were pretty fantastic as well. There’s nothing I love more, I realized, than watching Meredith, Alex, Amelia and Maggie hanging out and cleaning the house. It even gave someone as dull as Maggie the opportunity to blurt out some hilarious one-liners.

The biggest (and only) shock of the night is when Catherine Avery (in a welcoming return from the fantastic Debbie Allen) used April to gather intel to legally sue her for not telling Jackson about the pregnancy prior to signing the divorce papers. It’s a shocking twist that I literally did not see coming, especially after it seemed that Catherine and April shared a tender moment earlier, but this is another storyline that I don’t want to see dragged on for several more episodes. The sooner the writers officially stop caring about Jackson and April, the better.

Bits & Scalpels

– Maggie and DeLuca as well as Amelia and Owen broke up! I hardly cared about either of those relationships, but felt genuinely sad during the Amelia/Owen scene outside the McMansion.

– The “thank you” as a response to “I love you” is such an overused trope in comedies, but it did make me laugh when Callie shut Penny down like that. I am still not at all attached to this pairing and it’s ridiculous to think they’re endgame when Arizona is still in the picture.

– Meredith kicking Thorpe out of her bedroom in the opening scene was actually quite dramatic and intense. Sheesh.

– Every time Meredith went looking for cleaning supplies in the kitchen, I got a sick feeling in my stomach. Why was this so nerve-wrecking?

– Sofia is so big now! I can’t remember the last time we saw her. What is she, 6 now?

– Still loving every Alex/Meredith scene. What an incredibly realistic and amazing friendship.

– The only medical case we had this week involved that of Chris, a very large man who hurt his girlfriend while having sex.

Grey Banter

Maggie: What vacuum cleaner is this complicated?
Meredith: It’s a carpet steamer.
Maggie: And we own it?

Stephanie: I was at a party, met a guy, took him home, and when his pants came off, my jaw hit the floor and so did…it.

Meredith: This was Derek’s blanket. I always hated the stupid thing. It’s…it’s not soft. It’s not warm. It’s not a great color. He had it in the trailer. He brought it here. Made it to the dream house with us. He made a bed in front of this fireplace for us once. And now he’s gone. And I still have the damn thing. I freaked out this morning.
Alex: I heard. You okay? So, you brought the guy and…it was terrible. (Pause) It wasn’t terrible? So why did you freak out?
Meredith: That’s the problem. It was kind of incredible. He was going to leave. And then we fell asleep. And then when we woke up, I… He was just there, and I just… Everyone said I was ready. You said I would be okay, so I thought I should just do it and get it over with. But I wasn’t ready for it…to be…
Alex: You warm enough?
Meredith: Yeah. I’m fine.

Bailey: When you see Sofia kick a ball across the room and you start to daydream about 20 years from now when Sofia scores the winning foal at the Women’s World Cup Final and the whole stadium is chanting her name “Torres! Torres!” And it’s all in slow-motion and you’re up in the stands screaming and crying.
Callie: Yes, yes. You do that too?
Bailey: So the question is, who do you want…screaming and cheering beside you?

Must-Download Tunes
Green and Gold by Lianne La Havas
Love’s On The Way by Sebastian Kole

ConclusionWhile not the greatest episode, this week’s hour is still filled with fun, amusing moments.

Chris RatingB

Share this:

Like this:

LikeLoading...

Published by Chris Chedrawi

A computer science graduate hoping to write his own TV show one day, Chris is a regular guest reviewer on Nad's Reviews and is currently covering Will & Grace and The Americans, among other shows.
View all posts by Chris Chedrawi